You know the feeling when you wait with a sparkler near a deepam and you don’t know when it’s going to catch a spark, but when it does, it’s instant celebration! Ranjani-Gayatri’s concert burst into life the same way, with a sparkling Suddha Saveri and an explosion of swarams for Saamaja Varadha. Happy Deepavali!
After a beautiful rendition of Madhava Manohari in that matchless, perfect kalapramanam came Madhava himself. Ranjani ma’am beckoned the Venu-Gaanamoorthi with such a poignant, rich alapana with that characteristic balance of peaceful karvais for the half notes to flow into each other and chiseled phrases for the notes to pour forth. Trust Vivadi ragas like this to unsettle and turn you to the divine so naturally. After the forever amazing Vid Vittal Rangan played a wonderful alapana, the iconic Thyagaraja composition was rendered in all its majesty, followed by some swarams to adorn. Those Fitting Poruttams! Gaanamoorthe.
Like that first sweet on the festival morning began the next alapana. If ears could taste… Kedaragowla! A special flavour of endearing, every phrase soaked with love, purest melody. Listening to Gayatri ma’am filled the heart with adoration. Can this RaGa ever go out of style? How many delectable patterns to be discovered, how many new routes to be explored! After a melodious, blissful violin alapana came the grand Papanasam Sivan composition – Swamikku Sari Evvare. What sangathis, how magnificently rendered, in such unison. That Alapana, This kriti. Nothing more is ever needed. Setlist Mastery? More like Sorcery.
The casual “Before the main piece” announcement had us so fooled and unprepared. Bhuvaneshwariya, Mohanakalyani. While the rocket went up it was relatively calm, but then came that delightful pause after Nijabhaktaavana… Then the most colourful outburst of brilliance. Neraval! Like five flowerpots lighting each other up continuously, every artiste on stage exchanged music and lit up our hearts with ceaseless excitement with those jaw-dropping rounds of neraval and swarams, in that explosive pace anchored by the fabulous percussion wizards Vid Manoj Siva and Vid S Krishna. Pure glee.
Varamu. Ranjani ma’am crafted her alapana with great poise and built up the phrases so organically, treating us to a fulfilling, rich portrait followed by a short yet gorgeous alapana on the violin. By the time they were done I thought.. What more could be in store, in this pentatonic raga. Suffice to say that when the alapanas began, I thought – Aha, Varamu. But by the time Gayatri ma’am was done with it my mind was screaming Oh My God What is this Varamu!!! Such beauty. Five equals Infinity, who’d have thought. What utterly baffles me is how much she owns each note, each position, each movement with such Godlevel precision, apart from that insane vocal agility. Whether it’s a note gliding into another many notes above or below, or a tight oscillation, or a note held in taut perfection, or just a flash of notes in a swift outpouring, everything so pure and beautiful. It’s as if each note watches where her mind intends to fly next and quickly rushes and takes its place in the voice. Those breathtaking patterns, vadi-samvadi, octaves… Pouring phrases all the way up to Tara Sthayi Dha, Ni. The beyond precious contrasts of Carnatic and Hindustani, so seamlessly done and picture perfect… You know whom to blame for my long write-ups.
Every round of tanam was so playful and jubilant, exploring new colours of this raga that I now loved far more than I ever imagined. A beautifully penned line –
“Inai Ila Oli Nirai Maayone
Ini Pini Ila Varamum Ketpene”
Such a delight, the words, that raga mudra. And of course, the tuning, set to Chatushra Triputa, in Trimukhi. Neraval to this pallavi was absolutely delectable, as they shone light on both the line’s and the raga’s beauty with their prowess and creativity. That long neraval… the words dropped and connected so artfully, the raga bhava and emotional intensity through the Music Academy roof. After rounds of swarams came the maddening, irresistible beauty that was the second speed pallavi… There’s going to be a permanent spot in my brain for this pallavi, where it shall loop forever so I can tune in from time to time and feel joy radiate. I couldn’t get out my Aha’s fast enough when they started the swarams to the different words. That last round… Vittal Rangan asked my jaw to stay on the floor for a few more minutes. Dhenuka came as the first ragamalika swaram with that Maayone reference! This was followed by Hamsanandi… But now with an upgrade to THREE Grahabhedams! Mohanam, Madhyamavathi and Hindolam sprang from Dha, Ni and Ri. Couldn’t help but remember their last concert at this venue! After a fantastic korvai came the supremely enjoyable Tani Avartanam, complete with a koraippu in Trimukhi! The entire RTP was a display of the best fireworks, it’ll take one forever to describe each flash of brilliance. It just was very very very fun.
Like the Saravedi that stops for no one once it goes off, the next piece had begun. Thodi shook us by our very souls in a matter of minutes. The buoyant Mohanam lifted us up again and the nectar called Behag when poured over those words… drowned us completely in ecstasy. Orutthi Maganai Pirandhu! The concert concluded with an Abhang in Bhimpalas, Ata Kothe, with lovely improvisations.
When one sees Kamakshi, there’s no one way to pray to her. Some will chant, some sing, some prefer to be silent. When one hears a Ganamoorthi, a Kedaragowla, a Varamu, that experience seeks expression. Some sing along, some write down in their notebooks, some discuss in loud whispers, some churn out Aha’s and Sabash-es, some write paragraphs after paragraphs and claim to be trying to write shorter… In the end, each is just a flower in Her thousand-flower alankaaram. Just a small offering of gratitude.
Inai Ila, Oli Nirai. Unparalleled and Brilliant, the RaGa Deepam shines on, lighting countless souls that seek a spark, that seek the light – one concert, one RaGa at a time. Thank you for the music!
Happy Happy Deepavali!
Notes on Ra-Ga 